Audible acoustic performance tool

ABSTRACT

In an aspect, provided are methods, systems, and apparatuses comprising receiving a query specifying one or more materials of a floor/ceiling assembly and/or a classification or result, determining one or more media files responsive to the query, and providing the one or more media files for playback.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 16/599,974, filed on Oct. 11, 2019, which is a continuation ofU.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 16/122,537, filed on Sep. 5,2018, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,482,123 on Nov. 19, 2019, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/554,468, filed onSep. 5, 2017, all of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

Noise is typically defined as unpleasant and unwanted sound. High noiselevels worsen patient and staff outcomes in hospitals, hinder teachingand learning in schools, negatively impact productivity in offices, anddisrupt living environments in homes, apartments, and condominiums. Withflooring, one of the most abundant finishes in the built environment,the opportunity to positively influence the acoustical performance of aspace is great. Different commercial floor coverings such as wood,ceramic, wood, resilient/vinyl, carpet and textile composite flooringcontrol sound differently. Harder materials such as ceramic, wood, andresilient/vinyl absorb little or no sound and have greater potential totransmit sound, contributing to a noisier environment. Softer materialssuch as carpet and textile composite flooring absorb significantly moresound and transmit less sound, contributing to a quieter environment.

Tests exist that can measure the acoustic properties of interiorsurfaces and finishes. Such tests involve measuring the noise levelsproduced during the various test procedures, but the test results aretypically reported only numerically as a classification or result. Theclassification or result is simply a number that means nothing beyondany scale that may apply to the classification or result. Theclassification or result does not communicate any information related tothe way humans perceive sound. Consequently, it can be difficult toeffectively communicate the test results to homeowners, developers,purchasers, contractors, manufacturers, and other stakeholders, and aprimary goal of the tests—to assist in building design andconstruction—is therefore not met. These and other shortcomings areaddressed by the present disclosure.

BRIEF SUMMARY

It is to be understood that both the following general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive.

In an aspect, disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and methods comprisingreceiving a query specifying one or more materials of a floor/ceilingassembly and/or a classification or result, determining one or moremedia files responsive to the query, and providing the one or more mediafiles for playback.

In an aspect, disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and methods comprisingreceiving data comprising one or more testing parameters, one or moreresulting measurements, and one or more classification/result,generating, based on the data, a predictive model, receiving a querycomprising additional testing parameters, generating, based on applyingthe predictive model to the additional testing parameters, one or morepredicted resulting measurements and one or more predictedclassification/result, comparing the predicted resulting measurements tothe data, identifying, based on the comparison, an existing test whereinthe predicted test measurements are within a defined range of testmeasurements of the existing test, and providing one or more media filesassociated with the existing test for playback and an associated one ormore predicted classification/result.

Additional advantages will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows or may be learned by practice. The advantages will be realizedand attained by means of the elements and combinations particularlypointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both theforegoing general description and the following detailed description areexemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the methods and system:

FIG. 1A illustrates an example system for generating media files;

FIG. 1B illustrates an example floor/ceiling assembly;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example operating environment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example operating environment;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example acoustic engine;

FIG. 5A illustrates an example interface;

FIG. 5B illustrates an example interface;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example operating environment;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of another example method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present methods and systems are disclosed and described, itis to be understood that the methods and systems are not limited tospecific methods, specific components, or to particular implementations.It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended tobe limiting.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” oneparticular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When sucha range is expressed, another embodiment includes—from the oneparticular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, whenvalues are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent“about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms anotherembodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each ofthe ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, andindependently of the other endpoint.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where itdoes not.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word“comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and“comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intendedto exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps.“Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey anindication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used ina restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes.

Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosedmethods and systems. These and other components are disclosed herein,and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions,groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specificreference of each various individual and collective combinations andpermutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each isspecifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods andsystems. This applies to all aspects of this application including, butnot limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a varietyof additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each ofthese additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment orcombination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.

The present methods and systems may be understood more readily byreference to the following detailed description of preferred embodimentsand the examples included therein and to the Figures and their previousand following description.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the methods andsystems may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects. Furthermore, the methods and systems may take the formof a computer program product on a computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software)embodied in the storage medium. More particularly, the present methodsand systems may take the form of web-implemented computer software. Anysuitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilized including harddisks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Embodiments of the methods and systems are described below withreference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods,systems, apparatuses and computer program products. It will beunderstood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, respectively, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may be loadedonto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions which execute on the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus create a means for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readableinstructions for implementing the function specified in the flowchartblock or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loadedonto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport combinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and programinstruction means for performing the specified functions. It will alsobe understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions orsteps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

As will be described in greater detail herein, systems and methodsprovided can provide a tool to compare acoustic performance of one ormore products (e.g., flooring materials) using audio and/or videoinformation that represents real-life performance. The audio and/orvideo information can represent a range of parameters allowing forcomparison of varying flooring materials. This includes the ability tocompare the audible difference of products and/or assemblies that havethe same or similar numerical ratings.

The tool can ensure that a user is able to filter and compare resultsbased on key product parameters (e.g., a type and/or material offlooring; an amount and/or type of padding; etc.) and building assemblyparameters (e.g., construction material of a building; dimensions of abuilding/room; etc.). This allows the user to actually hear an accuraterepresentation of the sound performance of multiple constructionconfigurations during the design phase of a project.

In an aspect, the tool can comprise an interface (such as a web page)from which the user can select a floor assembly, a ceiling assembly,and/or a product configuration. Because a floor assembly, a ceilingassembly, and/or a product configuration with a given numericalclassification or result may absorb and/or reflect sound differentlybased on product configuration, installation environment, and the like,the user selections result in a query to a media database whereresulting audio file(s) can then be rendered for the user to hear theactual result for each combination, rather than merely relying on thegiven numerical classification or result. The disclosed tool enablescomparison of acoustic performance of building materials in an easy tounderstand, intuitive format. For example, a user may select a floorassembly, a ceiling assembly, and/or a product configuration based ondescriptive terms, rather than numerical ratings, of each (e.g.,“hardwood flooring” with “2 inches of foam padding” in a “large room”with “gypsum board walls”). Acoustic performance of building materialscan be compared by anyone who can operate and hear the tool, not just anacoustics specialist.

The typical frequency range for normal human hearing is 100-10,000 Hz.The human voice falls within the low-frequency end of the spectrum, ataround 100-3,500 Hz. Building noises such as those emanating fromelevators, HVAC systems and mechanical systems fall near the 1,000 Hzrange. Loud noises such as alarms and bells are in the high-frequencyend, up to 10,000 Hz. An airborne noise test relates to a surface'sability to absorb these and other airborne sounds which contribute toambient (background) noise. The airborne noise test, ASTM C423-02a,measures a surface's ability to absorb these and other airborne soundswhich contribute to ambient (background) noise. A floor covering sampleis typically tested in a reverberation room. The test measures theproduct's absorption of sound at 15 different frequencies ranging from100 Hz to 10,000 Hz. All of these frequencies fall within the range ofwhat a normal human ear can hear. A floor covering's measure ofeffectiveness in absorbing airborne sound is expressed as a NoiseReduction Coefficient (NRC). The greater the absorption, the higher theNRC number. A surface that completely eliminates sound has an NRC of1.0. Hard surfaces such as rubber and vinyl typically have NRCs of about0.0-0.015, meaning they absorb little to no airborne sound. Commercialcarpets used in hospitals, schools and offices have NRCs typicallyranging between 0.15 and 0.2, meaning they absorb about 15-20 percent ofairborne sound. A textile composite flooring's NRC is about 0.30,meaning 30 percent sound absorption.

A structure-borne noise test relates to a surface's ability to absorbimpact noises, reducing surface noise generation and impact soundtransmission into a space below. The structure-borne noise test mostused for flooring, ASTM E492-09, studies a material's ability to reduceimpact sound transmission into a space below. Footsteps and objectsdropping on the floor are examples of impact noises. The structure-bornenoise test is performed using a tapping machine in which five hammersstrike the floor 10 times per second. Sound pressure in 16 frequencybands is measured in a reverberation room below the floor being tested.The measure is expressed as a whole number, Impact Insulation Class(IIC)(derived from ASTM E989, incorporated herein by reference). Thehigher the numerical rating, the greater the sound insulation. ASTM E989is merely an example of a test that can be applied to the disclosedmethods and systems. Other tests are contemplated, including, but notlimited to, TIC and delta TIC (ASTM E492-09, ASTM E989-06, ASTME2179-03, ISO 10140-3), STC (ASTM E90-09, ASTM E413-16, ISO 10140-2),and/or Noise Reduction/Absorption (ASTM C423-17, ISO 354, ISO 11654).

FIG. 1A illustrates a system 100 configured for a structure-borne noisetest. The structure-borne noise test can be performed using a tappingmachine 102 in which one or more hammers 104 strike a floor 106 apredetermined number of times per second (e.g., 10 times per second).The tapping machine 102 is positioned on the floor 106 in a space 108.The space 108 can be a room of a building. The space 108 can bepositioned to be above (e.g., on top of) another space 110. Afloor/ceiling assembly 120 can separate the space 108 and the space 110.The floor/ceiling assembly 120 can comprise one or more materials thatseparate the space 108 and the space 110. The floor/ceiling assembly 120can vary widely amongst structures. FIG. 1B provides an examplefloor/ceiling assembly 120. The floor/ceiling assembly 120 can comprise,for example, a floor covering 122, a padding 124, an underlayment 126, asubfloor 128, a structural member 130, a ceiling support 132, a ceiling134, an insulation member 136, combinations thereof, and the like. Thefloor covering 122 can be, for example, a carpet covering, aresilient/vinyl covering, a hardwood covering, an engineered hardwoodcovering, a tile covering, and the like. The underlayment 126 cancomprise, for example, rebond, frothed foam, waffle rubber, urethanefoam, bonded urethane, flat rubber, fiber cushion, slab rubber, fiber,cork, and the like. The subfloor 128 can comprise, for example,hardboard, particle board, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood,concrete, and the like. The structural member 130 can comprise, forexample, joists, trusses, a concrete slab, and the like. The ceilingsupport 132 can comprise furring channels. The ceiling 134 can comprisedrywall, plaster, tile, and the like. The insulation member 136 cancomprise, for example, fiberglass, mineral wool, plastic fibers, naturalfibers, foam board, foam, cellulose, and the like. The floor/ceilingassembly 120 illustrated in FIG. 1B is merely an example floor/ceilingassembly 120. Many variations exist that vary not only the types ofmaterials used but also which materials are used. For example, somefloor/ceiling assemblies may lack a floor covering and/or a ceiling, ormay lack an insulation member, and the like. In an aspect, afloor/ceiling assembly can comprise solely a structural member, such asa concrete slab.

Returning to FIG. 1A, the floor 106 can comprise any of the floorcovering 122, the padding 124, the underlayment 126, the subfloor 128,the insulation member 136, the structural member 130, combinationsthereof, and the like. As the hammers 104 of the tapping machine 102strike the floor 106, sound travels through the floor 106 of the space108 and a ceiling 112 of the space 110. The ceiling 112 can comprise thestructural member 130, the ceiling support 132, the ceiling 134, theinsulation member 136, combinations thereof, and the like. Soundpressure 114 in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 16) can be measuredin the space 110 using a microphone 116 coupled to a computing device118. A measurement can be expressed as a whole number numerical rating,Impact Insulation Class (IIC). The higher the IIC, the greater the soundinsulation. ICC ratings vary, depending on materials and construction.For example, IICs for VCT typically range from 15 to 20, rubber IICsrange from 15 to 30, carpet IICs range from 35 to 50, and the IIC fortextile composite flooring is 64. The algorithm for converting soundpressure to a classification or result can be found in ASTM E492-09 &ASTM E989-06, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The system 100 can be further configured to record video and/or audio.For example, the system 100 can record the sound pressure 114 thatresults from the hammers 104 of the tapping machine 102 striking thefloor 106 causing sound to travel through the floor/ceiling assembly 120and into the space 110. In an aspect, the floor/ceiling assembly 120(including for example, the floor 106 and/or the ceiling 112) can bemade of many different materials, or the same material. A plurality ofcombinations of materials for the floor/ceiling assembly 120 can beinstalled. For each of the plurality of combinations, the microphone 116can record the resultant sound pressure 114. The computing device 118can be configured to store the recording as a media file (eitheruncompressed or compressed (lossy or lossless)).

In various embodiments, the media file may include electronicrepresentations of video, audio, text and/or graphics, which may includebut is not limited to electronic representations of video, audio, orother multimedia, (e.g., video file) which may include but is notlimited to data files adhering to MPEG2, MPEG, MPEG4 UHD, HDR, 4k,Adobe® Flash® Video (.FLV) format or some other video file formatwhether such format is presently known or developed in the future. Invarious embodiments, the media files described herein may includeelectronic representations of music, spoken words, or other audio,(e.g., sound file). The sound file can be, for example, in anuncompressed audio formats, such as WAV, AIFF, AU or raw header-lessPCM. The sound file can be, for example, in a format with losslesscompression, such as FLAC, Monkey's Audio (filename extension .ape),WavPack (filename extension .wv), TTA, ATRAC Advanced Lossless, ALAC(filename extension .m4a), MPEG-4 SLS, MPEG-4 ALS, MPEG-4 DST, WindowsMedia Audio Lossless (WMA Lossless), and Shorten (SHN). The sound filecan be, for example, in a format with lossy compression, such as Opus,MP3, Vorbis, Musepack, AAC, ATRAC and Windows Media Audio Lossy (WMAlossy).

The computing device 118 can store (e.g., in a database) the media filesalong with the associated combination of flooring and/or ceilingmaterials used when generating a respective media file. The database ofthe computing device 118 can be transferred to another computing device(e.g., a server) for use with the disclosed tool.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are block diagrams depicting non-limiting examples ofa server 202 and a client 206 connected through a network 204 accordingto an aspect. The server 202 can comprise one or multiple computersconfigured to operate an acoustic engine 302. The client 206 cancomprise one or multiple computers configured to operate an interface304 such as, for example, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a desktopcomputer, and the like. Multiple clients 206 can connect to the server202 through a network 204 such as, for example, the Internet. A user ona client 206 may connect to the acoustic engine 302 with the interface304.

The acoustic engine 302 can be configured to receive one or more queriesrelated to a selection of one or more materials of a floor/ceilingassembly (for example, one or more of a flooring material or a ceilingmaterial). The acoustic engine 302 can determine one or more media filesassociated with the query and make the one or more media files availablefor output by the client 206. FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting anexemplary view of the acoustic engine 302 according to an aspect. Theacoustic engine 302 can provide search results responsive to auser-defined search. The acoustic engine 302 can comprise one or moreof, a query module 402, a search engine index 404, and a media filemodule 406. The search engine index 404 can analyze metadata associatedwith one or more media files to determine how to index the one or moremedia files. The metadata can comprise, for example, a type of materialof a floor/ceiling assembly, a timestamp, a location, a building type, aclassification or result (e.g., TIC classification), a decibel rating, acombination thereof, and the like. The metadata about the one or moremedia files can be stored in the search engine index 404 for use inqueries by the query module 402.

The query module 402 can be configured to perform one or more types ofsearches. In an aspect, the query module 402 can be configured toperform a keyword search. A keyword search is a type of search thatlooks for matching electronic documents (one or more media files) thatcontain one or more words specified by a user. In an aspect, searchstatements provided to the query module 402 can be constrained to afinite listing of possible search terms. For example, the query module402 can be constrained to only execute a search for materials found inthe search engine index 404. In an aspect, the query module 402 can beconfigured to search based on a classification or result. For example, auser can specify a classification or result and one or more media filesassociated with materials of a floor/ceiling assembly that resulted inthe classification or result (or a better classification or result) canbe determined.

The search engine index 404 can be a database listing comprising, forexample, electronic documents, electronic document metadata, and thelike, referred to herein as search results. Searching the search engineindex 404 can utilize the metadata. For example, searching the searchengine index 404 by metadata can comprise performing a Boolean search.For example, metadata associated with a first media may indicate thefirst media file is indicative of sound for a first flooring type, afirst building material, and a first room size. The user-defined searchmay indicate the first flooring type, the first building material, and asecond room size. In this case, the first media file would not be partof the search results, since the room size associated with the firstmedia file does not match the room size indicated by the user-definedsearch.

The media file module 406 can be configured to process one or more mediafiles identified by the query module 402 as responsive to a search. Inan aspect, the media file module 406 can cause the one or more mediafiles to stream, download, or otherwise cause to be rendered by a client206. The media file module 406 can be configured to transcode the one ormore media files from one format to another, based on playbackrequirements imposed by the client 206. In yet another aspect, the mediafile module 406 can be configured to mix, overlay, normalize, orotherwise process the one or more media files. For example, the mediafile module 406 can be configured to adjust loudness of the one or moremedia files. In an aspect, the acoustic engine 302 can receive a volumesetting for the client 206. Based on the volume setting, the media filemodule 406 can manipulate the one or more media files to ensure that theone or more media files, when rendered by the client 206, are played atan appropriate loudness to ensure that the audio playback isrepresentative of the originally recorded sound. For example, a deviceplaying the media file can play a calibrated sound. A microphone coupledor built in to the device can be used to receive the output and thesoftware on the device can adjust an equalizer and/or volume to ensurethe calibrated sound is played according to a known performance level.

In another aspect, upon executing a query and failing to identify amatch based on the test data or the media files characteristics. Thesecan be used to group products with similar design or sound performanceat all frequencies. The disclosed methods and systems can then associatethe group to the closest match to the query for playback. For example,if a floor covering ‘A’ was tested and had a recorded media file andfloor covering ‘A’ used the same material and thickness as floorcovering ‘B’ but had different dimensions and had similar results acrossall tested frequencies (e.g., 50 Hz to 10,000 Hz), the system canutilize the media file for product ‘A’ when product ‘B’ was in theexecuted query.

In an aspect, the disclosed methods and systems can perform soundperformance audio mapping and prediction. A database can be created thatcomprises one or more (e.g., all) testing parameters, resultingmeasurements, summarized test results, and associated media file(s).Examples of testing parameters include, but are not limited to, testconducted, material(s) used in floor/ceiling assembly, combination(s) ofmaterials used in floor/ceiling assembly Examples of resultingmeasurements include, but are not limited to, dB, absorption, and thelike, across the tested frequencies (Hz). Examples of summarized testresults include, but are not limited to, IIC, STC, and the like. One ormore of each of the aforementioned testing parameters, each of theresulting measurements, and/or each of the summarized test results maybe associated with a metadata for a given media file.

The database can be analyzed to create a prediction model that canpredict the resulting measurements and summarized test result for acombination of test parameters that may not have been tested. Thepredictive model can be created using one or more algorithms (e.g.,regression, k-nearest neighbors, random forest, decision tree learning,etc.). The predictive model can be updated as new test results are addedto the database, either manually or automatically.

Accordingly, if a user selects a unique combination of test parameterswhere an actual test has not been conducted (and therefore no associatedmedia file exists), the system can provide the query to the predictionmodel to predict the resulting measurements and summarized test resultsfor the requested parameters and present them to the user. The predictedmeasurements can then be compared to the test measurements in thedatabase of existing tests. If the predicted test measurements arewithin a defined range across all the test measurements of an existingtest (for instance +/−3 dB for each frequency), the sound/media file ofthe matching test will be presented to the user as a representation ofwhat the requested parameters should sound like in a real test.

FIG. 5A is a diagram depicting an example of a web browser screen 500showing search results generated based on a user defined query. The webbrowser screen 500 can comprise one or more search boxes associated withone or more materials of a floor/ceiling assembly. For example, the webbrowser screen 500 can comprise a classification or result search box502, a floor covering search box 504, an underlayment search box 506, asubfloor search box 508, a structural member search box 510, a ceilingsearch box 512, a search button 514, a result indicator 516, and mediacontrols 518. Other search boxes are contemplated for any materialand/or layer of a floor/ceiling assembly. A user inputs a search term inat least one of, the classification or result search box 502, the floorcovering search box 504, the underlayment search box 506, the subfloorsearch box 508, the structural member search box 510, the ceiling searchbox 512, and initiates a search by clicking on the search button 514. Inan aspect, the classification or result search box 502, the floorcovering search box 504, the underlayment search box 506, the subfloorsearch box 508, the structural member search box 510, the ceiling searchbox 512 can comprise drop down selection boxes. The drop down selectionboxes can be populated by the materials contained with the search engineindex 404. The acoustic engine can provide a result of the search in theresult indicator 516. If a result is found (e.g., a media file), themedia controls 518 can be used to cause playback of the media file. Inan aspect, the user can specify one or more inputs for a query into theclassification or result search box 502, the floor covering search box504, the underlayment search box 506, the subfloor search box 508, thestructural member search box 510, the ceiling search box 512. Forexample, the user can specify a floor covering and a classification orresult, but not other materials. The query engine 402 can then return aplurality of results made up of media files associated with thespecified floor covering and classification or result, but varying inthe other materials for the floor/ceiling assembly. In another example,the user can specify a ceiling and a classification or result, but notother materials. The query engine 402 can then return a plurality ofresults made up of media files associated with the specified ceiling andclassification or result, but varying in the other materials for thefloor/ceiling assembly. In another example, the user can specify thefloor covering and the ceiling, but not the classification or result.The query engine 402 can then return a plurality of results made up ofmedia files associated with the specified floor covering and theceiling, but varying in the other materials for the floor/ceilingassembly, and display the associated classification or result in theclassification or result search box 502.

FIG. 5B is a diagram depicting an example of a web browser screen 501showing search results generated based on a user defined query. Webbrowser screen 501 illustrates a user defined query of a classificationor result, a floor covering, an underlayment, a subfloor, and astructural member, but not a ceiling. The query engine 402 can thenreturn a plurality of results made up of media files associated with thespecified materials and classification or result, but varying inceiling. The result indicator 516 can display a message indicating thata further selection is necessary in order to cause playback of one ofthe media files. The user can engage the result indicator 516 to displaya list 520 of the various ceiling materials associated with the selectedmaterials “NATURAL IMPACT II PLUS,” “WAFFLE RUBBER,” “PLYWOOD,”“CONCRETE SLAB,” and the classification or result of “58.” Uponselecting a ceiling from the list 520, the user can engage the mediacontrols 518 to cause playback of the associated media file.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting an environment 600 comprisingnon-limiting examples of a server 202 and a client 206 according to anaspect. The server 202 and the client 206 can be a digital computerthat, in terms of hardware architecture, generally includes a processor602, memory system 604, input/output (I/O) interfaces 608, and networkinterfaces 610. These components (602, 604, 608, and 610) arecommunicatively coupled via a local interface 612. The local interface612 can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or otherwired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. The localinterface 612 can have additional elements, which are omitted forsimplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters,and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the local interfacemay include address, control, and/or data connections to enableappropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

The processor 602 can be a hardware device for executing software,particularly that stored in memory system 604. The processor 602 can beany custom made or commercially available processor, a centralprocessing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processorsassociated with the server 202 and the client 206, a semiconductor-basedmicroprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), or generallyany device for executing software instructions. When the server 202 orthe client 206 is in operation, the processor 602 can be configured toexecute software stored within the memory system 604, to communicatedata to and from the memory system 604, and to generally controloperations of the server 202 and the client 206 pursuant to thesoftware.

The I/O interfaces 608 can be used to receive user input from and/or forproviding system output to one or more devices or components. User inputcan be provided via, for example, a keyboard and/or a mouse. Systemoutput can be provided via a display device and a printer (not shown).I/O interfaces 608 can include, for example, a serial port, a parallelport, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), an IR interface, an RFinterface, and/or a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

The network interface 610 can be used to transmit and receive from anexternal server 202 or a client 206 on a network 204. The networkinterface 610 may include, for example, a 10BaseT Ethernet Adaptor, a100BaseT Ethernet Adaptor, a LAN PHY Ethernet Adaptor, a Token RingAdaptor, or any other suitable network interface device. The networkinterface 610 may include address, control, and/or data connections toenable appropriate communications on the network 204.

The memory system 604 can include any one or combination of volatilememory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM,SDRAM, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive,tape, CDROM, DVDROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory system 604 mayincorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storagemedia. Note that the memory system 604 can have a distributedarchitecture, where various components are situated remote from oneanother, but can be accessed by the processor 602.

The software in memory system 604 may include one or more softwareprograms, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG.6 , the software in the memory system 604 can comprise the acousticengine 302 and a suitable operating system (O/S) 606. In the example ofFIG. 6 , the software in the memory system 604 comprises an interface304 and a suitable operating system (O/S) 606. The Operating system 606essentially controls the execution of other computer programs, such asthe search engine 302, the interface 304, and provides scheduling,input-output control, file and data management, memory management, andcommunication control and related services.

The acoustic engine 302 can be used for providing search resultsresponsive to a search provided by a user. In an aspect, the search termcan be one or more keywords, one or more materials of a floor/ceilingassembly, a classification or result, combinations thereof, and thelike. A search result can comprise one or more media files, or any otherelectronic file, each being associated with metadata indicative of afloor/ceiling assembly, a classification or result, combinationsthereof, and the like, that were used during testing/recording. In anaspect, the one or more media files can reside on the server 202 andeach of the one or more media files can comprise a location identifier,such as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). In another aspect, the one ormore media files can reside on multiple other servers while the server202 maintains a record of the location identifier for each of the one ormore media files. The acoustic engine 302 can be configured to searchfor the one or more media files. The acoustic engine 302 can use one ormore algorithms to store and retrieve relevant search results in adatabase(s) responsive to the search term. For example, the database(s)may index the one or more media files according to metadata associatedwith the one or more media files. The acoustic engine 302 can comprisean updating algorithm to regularly search for new or updated mediafiles. The acoustic engine 302 can be configured to operate on one ormultiple server(s) 202.

An interface 304 can be used to view web pages on the client 206. Theweb pages may reside on a network 204 (e.g., Internet) or on a localcomputer. The interface 304 can be configured to view a web pageresponsive to an input from a user. The input can be a URL (UniformResource Locator) address input directly into the web browser or ahyperlink on a currently viewed web page. Examples of commonly used webbrowsers include Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, NetscapeNavigator, and Mozilla Firefox.

The acoustic engine 302 and/or the interface 304 can be a sourceprogram, an executable program (object code), a script, or any otherentity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When theacoustic engine 302 and/or the interface 304 is a source program, thenthe acoustic engine 302 and/or the interface 304 can be translated via acompiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not beincluded within the memory system 604, so as to operate properly inconnection with the O/S 606. Furthermore, the acoustic engine 302 and/orthe interface 304 can be written as (a) an object oriented programminglanguage, which has classes of data and methods, or (b) a procedureprogramming language, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions,such as, for example, but not limited to, C, C++, Pascal, Basic,Fortran, Cobol, Perl, and Java.

When the acoustic engine 302 and/or the interface 304 is implemented insoftware, it should be noted that the acoustic engine 302 and/or theinterface 304 can be stored on any computer readable medium for use byor in connection with any computer related system or method. A computerreadable medium can be a non-transitory electronic, magnetic, optical,or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computerprogram for use by or in connection with a computer related system ormethod. The acoustic engine 302 and/or the interface 304 can be embodiedin any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as acomputer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system thatcan fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system,apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. The computer-readablemedium can be any non-transitory means that can store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computerreadable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium include thefollowing: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory(RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory)(electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact discread-only memory (CDROM) (optical).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a general example of a method 700 forproviding search results using an acoustic engine. A query is receivedspecifying at least one of, one or more materials of a floor/ceilingassembly or a classification or result, as indicated in step 702. Theclassification or result can be related to an airborne noise test or astructure-borne noise test. For example, a web browser, or similar canbe configured to view an acoustic engine web page, and a user may inputa search term to the search engine via the web browser. One or moremedia files responsive to the query can be determined based on metadataassociated with a plurality of media files, as indicated in step 704.For example, the acoustic engine may initiate a search of a databaseresponsive to the search term. The one or more media files can bepre-generated by performing a structure-borne noise test (or any otherrelated acoustic test). Receiving the query specifying one or morematerials of a floor/ceiling assembly or a classification or result cancomprise receiving the query specifying any combination of materials ofa floor/ceiling assembly or a classification or result.

The one or more materials of the floor/ceiling assembly can comprise oneor more of a floor covering, a padding, an underlayment, a subfloor, astructural member, a ceiling support, a ceiling, or an insulationmember.

For example, the query can specify a floor covering and a ceiling.Determining the one or more media files responsive to the query cancomprise determining a media file of the one or more media filesassociated with the floor covering and the ceiling. By way of furtherexample, the query can specify a ceiling and a classification or result.Determining the one or more media files responsive to the query cancomprise determining, based on metadata associated with the plurality ofmedia files, one or more media files associated with the ceiling and theclassification or result, wherein each of the one or more media files isassociated with one or more combinations of floor covering, padding,underlayment, subfloor, structural member, ceiling support, orinsulation member. In another example, the query can specify a floorcovering and a classification or result. Determining the one or moremedia files responsive to the query can comprise determining, based onmetadata associated with the plurality of media files, one or more mediafiles associated with the floor covering and the classification orresult, wherein each of the one or more media files is associated withone or more combinations of padding, underlayment, subfloor, structuralmember, ceiling support, ceiling, or insulation member. In anotherexample, the query can specify a classification or result. Determiningthe one or more media files responsive to the query can comprisedetermining, based on metadata associated with the plurality of mediafiles, one or more media files associated with the classification orresult, wherein each of the one or more media files is associated with adifferent combination of floor covering, padding, underlayment,subfloor, structural member, ceiling support, ceiling, or insulationmember.

For example, the query can specify a ceiling material and a flooringmaterial and determining the one or more media files responsive to thequery can comprise determining a media file of the one or more mediafiles associated with the ceiling material and the flooring material. Inanother example, the query can specify a ceiling material and aclassification or result and determining the one or more media filesresponsive to the query can comprise determining, based on metadataassociated with the plurality of media files, one or more media filesassociated with the ceiling material and the classification or result,wherein each of the one or more media files is associated with adifferent flooring material. In another example, the query can specify aflooring material and a classification or result and determining the oneor more media files responsive to the query can comprise determining,based on metadata associated with the plurality of media files, one ormore media files associated with the flooring material and theclassification or result, wherein each of the one or more media files isassociated with a different ceiling material. In another example, thequery can specify a classification or result and determining the one ormore media files responsive to the query can comprise determining, basedon metadata associated with the plurality of media files, one or moremedia files associated with the classification or result, wherein eachof the one or more media files is associated with a differentcombination of a ceiling material and a flooring material.

The one or more media files can be provided for playback, as indicatedin step 706. Providing the one or more media files for playback cancomprise displaying an identifier of the one or more media files as aninterface element, receiving an interaction with the interface elementindicating a specific one of the one or more media files, and causingthe specific one of the one or more media files to play on an audioplayback device. The method 700 can further comprise determining alocation identifier for each of the one or more media files and whereinproviding the one or more media files for playback can compriseproviding the location identifiers for each of the one or more mediafiles. The method 700 can further comprise monitoring one or morenetwork locations to determine one or more new media files and one ormore updates to existing media files.

The method 700 can further comprise transcoding at least one of the oneor more media files before providing the one or more media files forplayback. In an aspect, the query can comprise a volume settingassociated with an audio playback device. The method 700 can furthercomprise determining, based on a classification or result associatedwith each of the one or more media files, an optimal volume setting forthe audio playback device to render each of the one or more media filesand providing the optimal volume setting.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a general example of a method 800 forproviding search results using an acoustic engine. The method 800 cancomprise receiving data comprising one or more testing parameters, oneor more resulting measurements, and one or more classification/result at802. The one or more testing parameters comprise at least one of amaterial of a floor/ceiling assembly or a test conducted. The one ormore resulting measurements comprise at least one of dB or absorption.The one or more classification/result comprises a sound performancetesting result.

The method 800 can comprise generating, based on the data, a predictivemodel at 804. Generating the predictive model can comprise utilizing oneor more of predictive analytics algorithms. The method 800 can comprisereceiving a query comprising additional testing parameters at 806. Themethod 800 can comprise generating, based on applying the predictivemodel to the additional testing parameters, one or more predictedresulting measurements and one or more predicted classification/resultat 808. The method 800 can comprise comparing the predicted resultingmeasurements to the data at 810. The method 800 can compriseidentifying, based on the comparison, an existing test wherein thepredicted test measurements are within a defined range of testmeasurements of the existing test at 812. The method 800 can compriseproviding one or more media files associated with the existing test forplayback and an associated one or more predicted classification/resultat 814.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is in no way intendedthat an order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possiblenon-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic withrespect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaningderived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or typeof embodiments described in the specification.

While the methods and systems have been described in connection withpreferred embodiments and specific examples, it is not intended that thescope be limited to the particular embodiments set forth, as theembodiments herein are intended in all respects to be illustrativerather than restrictive.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is in no way intendedthat an order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possiblenon-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic withrespect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaningderived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or typeof embodiments described in the specification.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosedherein. It is intended that the specification and examples be consideredas exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a query from aclient computing device, wherein the client computing device isconfigured to present a user interface that enables comparison of audioassociated with two or more construction assemblies; wherein the userinterface comprises an option to select from the two or moreconstruction assemblies; wherein each construction assembly of the twoor more construction assemblies comprises a floor covering, a padding,an underlayment, a subfloor, a structural member, a ceiling support, aceiling, or an insulation member, and wherein the query isrepresentative of a selection of a construction assembly of the two ormore construction assemblies made by a user; retrieving, based on theselected construction assembly, one or more media files that areassociated with and representative of a group of construction assembliescomprising one or more characteristics, wherein the selectedconstruction assembly comprises at least one characteristic that issimilar to the one or more characteristics; and transmitting the one ormore media files to the client computing device for playback.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a first construction assembly of the two ormore construction assemblies comprises a concrete slab, wherein a secondconstruction assembly of the two or more construction assembliescomprises at least one of: a floor covering disposed on a subfloorlacking an insulation member, a floor covering comprising anunderlayment disposed between the floor covering and the subfloor, thesubfloor, a structural member, a ceiling support, a ceiling, aninsulation member, or a padding, wherein the floor covering comprises atleast one of: a carpet covering, a resilient/vinyl covering, a hardwoodcovering, an engineered hardwood covering, or a tile covering, whereinthe underlayment comprises at least one of: rebond, frothed foam, wafflerubber, urethane foam, bonded urethane, flat rubber, fiber cushion, slabrubber, fiber, or cork, wherein the subfloor comprises at least one of:hardboard, particle board, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, orconcrete, wherein the structural member comprises a concrete slab, andwherein the insulation member comprises at least one of: fiberglass,mineral wool, plastic fibers, natural fibers, foam board, foam, orcellulose.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing aplurality of audio tests associated with the two or more constructionassemblies, wherein the one or more media files are associated with theplurality of audio tests, and wherein the one or more characteristicscomprise a construction assembly design or a construction assembly soundperformance.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or morecharacteristics further comprise: a classification or result; or aclassification range or a result range.
 5. A method comprising:presenting a user interface that is configured to enable comparison ofaudio associated with two or more construction assemblies; wherein theuser interface is configured to enable a user to select from the two ormore construction assemblies, and wherein each construction assembly ofthe two or more construction assemblies comprises a floor covering, apadding, an underlayment, a subfloor, a structural member, a ceilingsupport, a ceiling, or an insulation member; receiving a query that isrepresentative of a selection of a construction assembly of the two ormore construction assemblies made by the user via the user interface;responsive to receiving the query and based on the selected constructionassembly, receiving, one or more media files that are associated withand representative of a group of construction assemblies comprising oneor more characteristics, wherein the selected construction assemblycomprises at least one characteristic that is similar to the one or morecharacteristics, and wherein the one or more media files comprise soundfiles of audio tests stored in a database; and causing playback of theone or more media files.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:performing the audio tests, wherein the audio tests are associated withthe two or more construction assemblies.
 7. The method of claim 5,wherein the one or more media files each comprise a recording of one ofthe audio tests.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein a first constructionassembly of the two or more construction assemblies comprises a concreteslab, wherein a second construction assembly of the two or moreconstruction assemblies comprises at least one of: a floor coveringdisposed on a subfloor lacking an insulation member, a floor coveringcomprising an underlayment disposed between the floor covering and thesubfloor, the subfloor, a structural member, a ceiling support, aceiling, an insulation member, or a padding, wherein the floor coveringcomprises at least one of: a carpet covering, a resilient/vinylcovering, a hardwood covering, an engineered hardwood covering, or atile covering, wherein the underlayment comprises at least one of:rebond, frothed foam, waffle rubber, urethane foam, bonded urethane,flat rubber, fiber cushion, slab rubber, fiber, or cork, wherein thesubfloor comprises at least one of: hardboard, particle board, orientedstrand board (OSB), plywood, or concrete, wherein the structural membercomprises a concrete slab, wherein the insulation member comprises atleast one of: fiberglass, mineral wool, plastic fibers, natural fibers,foam board, foam, or cellulose, and wherein the one or morecharacteristics comprise a construction assembly design or aconstruction assembly sound performance.
 9. A method comprising:receiving, by a computing device, based on a user selection of one ormore floor coverings associated with a ceiling assembly, a resourceidentifier associated with an acoustic test recording, wherein theacoustic test recording is associated with the one or more floorcoverings and the ceiling assembly; and sending, based on the resourceidentifier, the acoustic test recording for playback.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more floor coverings comprise a carpetcovering, a resilient/vinyl covering, a hardwood covering, an engineeredhardwood covering, or a tile covering, and wherein the ceiling assemblycomprises one or more of: a joist, a truss, a concrete slab, a ceilingsupport, drywall, plaster, tile, fiberglass, mineral wool, plasticfibers, natural fibers, foam board, foam, or cellulose.
 11. The methodof claim 9, wherein the user selection comprises a selection of aninterface element of a user interface output via a web browser executingon a second computing device, and wherein sending, based on the resourceidentifier, the acoustic test recording for playback comprises sending,to the second computing device, the acoustic test recording for playbackat the second computing device.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein theacoustic test recording comprises a recording of a noise test, whereinthe noise test is associated with the one or more floor coverings andthe ceiling assembly, and wherein the resource identifier comprises oneor more of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a web address, or ahyperlink.
 13. A method comprising: receiving, via a user interface, aselection of a first element of the user interface, wherein the firstelement is associated with one or more floor coverings associated with aceiling assembly; determining, based on the selection, a resourceidentifier associated with an acoustic test recording, wherein theacoustic test recording is associated with the one or more floorcoverings and the ceiling assembly; and causing, based on the resourceidentifier, playback of the acoustic test recording.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the one or more floor coverings comprise a carpetcovering, a resilient/vinyl covering, a hardwood covering, an engineeredhardwood covering, or a tile covering, and wherein the ceiling assemblycomprises one or more of: a joist, a truss, a concrete slab, a ceilingsupport, drywall, plaster, tile, fiberglass, mineral wool, plasticfibers, natural fibers, foam board, foam, or cellulose.
 15. The methodof claim 13, wherein the user interface is output via a web browser, andwherein causing, based on the resource identifier, playback of theacoustic test recording comprises causing, via the web browser, playbackof the acoustic test recording.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein theacoustic test recording comprises a recording of a noise test associatedwith the one or more floor coverings and the ceiling assembly.
 17. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the resource identifier comprises one ormore of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a web address, or a hyperlink.18. A method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, an indicationof a user selection associated with one or more floor coverings and aceiling assembly; and causing, based on the user selection, playback ofan acoustic test recording associated with the one or more floorcoverings and the ceiling assembly.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereinthe one or more floor coverings comprise a carpet covering, aresilient/vinyl covering, a hardwood covering, an engineered hardwoodcovering, or a tile covering, and wherein the ceiling assembly comprisesone or more of: a joist, a truss, a concrete slab, a ceiling support,drywall, plaster, tile, fiberglass, mineral wool, plastic fibers,natural fibers, foam board, foam, or cellulose.
 20. The method of claim18, wherein the user selection comprises a selection of an interfaceelement of a user interface output via a web browser executing on asecond computing device, and wherein causing, based on the userselection, playback of the acoustic test recording comprises sending, tothe second computing device, the acoustic test recording for playback atthe second computing device.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein theacoustic test recording comprises a recording of a noise test associatedwith the one or more floor coverings and the ceiling assembly.
 22. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the user selection is associated with aresource identifier associated with the acoustic test recording, andwherein causing, based on the user selection, playback of the acoustictest recording comprises: receiving the resource identifier; andsending, based on the resource identifier, the acoustic test recordingfor playback.